Crews of Robbie, gathered ‘round,
On this very hallowed ground,
Near their honored sister ship,Old Ironsides, within her slip,
There her praises to resound.

Friday
was USS Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) Day. Our guide, SN Andrew
Lewis, welcomed us aboard and showed us through the three deck levels.
Beneath the main are the gun, spar and crew decks, each of lesser head
room than the last. This was no place for 6+ footers!

Launched in Boston in 1797, she is the oldest in-commission floating
warship in the whole world. She gained her fame - and knick-name
- in the War of 1812 when enemy cannonballs were seen to bounce
harmlessly off her thick oaken hull. Never defeated, she was close to
being scrapped in 1830 when a young medical student named Oliver
Wendell Holmes wrote a stirring poem, “Old Ironsides”, which helped in
her refitting and preservation. Still afloat, and seaworthy after 212
years, she has made a number of trips outside Boston Harbor. In 1997 –
her 200th birthday, she was towed to Marblehead, then set loose on her
own, headed south. She was clocked at 7 knots flying just 6 sails

Some
Robbie sailors are said to have wished they were aboard for that
thrilling ride. Those of us who may have harbored thoughts of ‘sneaking
her out’ for a midnight sail, soon faced seven good reasons not to do
so.

Referring to Old Ironsides as a ‘sister
ship’ is a bit of a generational stretch, justified only on a
poetic-license basis. ‘Great-grandmother barque’ would have been more
accurate.

But
wait – what’s that warship docked just a hundred yards away? Why it’s
the USS Cassin Young, DD793, like the Robbie, a Fletcher Class WW2
destroyer! Now there is truly a sister ship. She also earned her keep
in the South Pacific during WWII. She is named after a Navy captain who
earned the Medal of Honor for actions at Pearl Harbor, but later lost
his life in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

After a dockyard
lunch, we visited the USS Cassin Young, DD 793. This was a poignant
time for all crew members and companions. For many this was a visit to
a long ago home away from home. Comments such as “Here is where I was
stationed during GQ”, “That was my bunk”, “This is CIC”, and “That is a
binnacle”, were heard throughout the visit. Our ‘Gals of Robbie’ and
guests were impressed. At 1400 we assembled on the fantail for a
memorial service.

After a playing of taps, shipmate Charles Smith delivered this tribute:

This memorial time is a time for us to pause and remember our
shipmates, especially those no longer with us. Not only do we
honor shipmates of the Robinson but also those of the Cassin
Young who served with the Robinson in the climactic Battle of
Leyte Gulf.

As I walked through the cemeteries along the Freedom Trail and
saw grave markers of our early Patriots, I was forced to remember
that they were the first to answer the call to secure our freedom
and privileges. Also, as part of the Freedom Trail is a memorial
constructed of Dog Tags of fallen heroes who have paid the
ultimate price in serving our present freedom in the war of Iraq
and Afghanistan.

Whether we visit a cemetery of neatly lined markers, a private
cemetery with service markers, see a person in military uniform,
pass a person with a cap signifying their service or attending a
reunion, we should always remember to say “thank you” for your
part in securing the privileges and freedom we all enjoy today.

Speaking
of Freedom Trail, we learned that it is a 2.5 mile long, mostly
red-brick, walk, from Boston Commons to Bunker Hill Monument with many
historical stops along the way, including Old Ironsides. Walking the
Trail was not part of our program, but a DUKW tour of many of the trail
sites - and more – was. What, you may ask, is a DUKW? It is a
32-passenger boat fitted with tired wheels, allowing it to travel on
water or land. Built during WW2 by General Motors, these amphibian
vehicles were used in land invasions during that war. Put a loquacious
driver in charge and you have the perfect way to cruise and explore the
tangled streets of Boston - and the Charles River basin. That is exactly what we did on Sunday morning. We were shown JFK’s apartment, Paul Revere’s house and route, Faneuil Hall,
Old North Church, Ben Franklin’s statue, Durgan Park and many historic
buildings. Then, all of a sudden, we were afloat!Tooling around in the
Charles River Basin, we got a good look at the newest bridge – a huge,
cable-stayed beauty, said to belong to the “Big Dig”. And we thought
the Big Dig was all underground! This was the ‘Big Rig’. Off in the
direction of Cambridge we could just barely make out the campus of MIT,
alma mater to several Robbie mates. Downstream is the dam that
guarantees the basin, and near it we waddled ashore to end a most
enjoyable interlude.

Saturday was Revolutionary War Day.
We climbed on our bus and set off. First stop, Bunker Hill Monument.
Here, on 17 June 1775, was the first major conflict between British and
Patriot forces of the Revolution. In front of the huge obelisk is a
statue of Col. William Prescott, well known for issuing the
order: “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”. Then it
was off to Lexington, and its very fine Revolution Museum. This was
where the Brits thought they might find the munitions cache they were
after – but no luck! The Patriots had learned of the Red Coats plans
and had hidden the munitions elsewhere. Most of the town’s patriots had
left to regroup at Concord.

Just
as did the Brits, we too headed for Concord. There, at Old North Bridge
over the Concord River, we listened to the story of the “shot heard
around the world” told by a most enthusiastic and informative young
lady park ranger. This was the time – 19 April 1775 – and place where
the Minute Men had their ‘enough already’ moment and proceeded to drive
the outnumbered Red Coats back toward Boston. Listening to the story as
told by the young lady was both inspiring and emotional.

Visit to Concord over, we re-boarded our bus and headed back to our
Boston base. On the way, we paused for lunch at Hansom Air Force Base
Officer’s Club. This base houses the Air Force’s Electronic Systems
Command. Details were not available. Long before we arrived on the
scene, our names had been made available to the base command, and had
likely been compared to known terrorist lists. But the lunch was a
delight. Then it was back to our home – Charlestown’s Constitution Inn.

Saturday
morning, while the crew members held their traditional business
meeting, the Gals of the Robbie held their “Best Decorated Apron”
contest, and voted on the winners in several categories. As the Gals
marched in to the meeting room sporting their decorated aprons, their
were oohs and ahhhs as the spectators eyed the remarkably modified
aprons – some with flashing lights, patriotic motifs, fancy embroidery
and very imaginative designs. These contests were the idea of Peggy
Clegg, and she deserves applause for dreaming up the various contests,
and then bringing them on. Thanks, Peggy!

Aside
from the apron contest, Patsy Smith put on display the quilt she had
made of the many individual patches designed by all the Gals a year
earlier at the Branson Reunion. A beautiful job indeed! It was put on a
display table, along with many of the contest aprons, for all to
enjoy.

This
was a Reunion par excellence! What made it so? I’d say “Three Guys
and 3 Gals. The Gals: Peggy Clegg, Patsy Smith and Eleanor
Schureman. The Guys – visible in the photo – Bill Murphy (Host), George
Schureman (Treasurer) and Art Bowne (Secretary). We are indeed blessed
to have such a great team! But here are more – many more. Everyone
attending, inspired by our leaders, came together as happy to be there
as any family.